Extreme fire danger in Otago
Fire and Emergency New Zealand have warned that fire danger is very high in large parts of the Otago region over Easter due to high winds and the dry fuels and soil in the region.
These conditions have led to new fire restrictions across the Otago Region from 12pm on Thursday 1 April until 12pm Tuesday 6 April.
What you need to know:
- All fire permits have been suspended in Coastal Zone Dunedin, Clutha including Catlins, Waitaki, Central Zone and Lakes.
- In the Otago Central Zone, open air fires have been prohibited as well as no roadside mowing, no cultivation, no fireworks or pyrotechnic displays and no explosives to be set off. This includes Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell, Wanaka, Lake Hawea, Naseby, Ranfurly, Kurow, Otematata, Omarama and Middlemarch.
Central Otago Deputy Principal Rural Fire Officer Bobby Lamont asks anyone who has had a burn in the last seven days to check that these are completely out.
"The strong winds have the potential to reignite any old burn sites so people should check they are fully extinguished. Dig right down into the site, pour water over it and check with the back of your hand there is no heat."
For full details, check out the Fire and Emergency New Zealand site here.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Would you like a free copy of our February 2025 issue?
Kia ora neighbours. We give away free copies to readers whose recipes are used in our magazine. We're still on the hunt for tomato recipes, so send your family's favourite way to use up your homegrown harvest, to: mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz. If we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of the mag
On the range
Venetian plaster finishes are on-trend at the moment, so why not recreate this look at home and cover that unsightly rangehood at the same time? Find out how to create your own with Resene Sandtex and these easy step by step instructions.
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